Wiki

Against the Run of Play – (1) describing a particular play or outcome occurring in favor of the less-dominant team (e.g., “They scored against the run of play.”); (2) describing a counterattacking play launched by a defending team soon after it regains possession of the ball
“Back and Face” – a request to the advanced players (who have just lost possession) to get behind the ball, face the opponents, and play defensively
Back Post – (1) the post supporting the goal’s crossbar that is farthest from the ball; (2) a position or location directly next to the post farthest from the ball; (3) a position or location that is directly in front of, but some distance removed, from the post farthest from the ball; (4) someplace in the general vicinity of the post farthest from the ball.
Ball-to-Hand – an unintentional handling of a ball by a player other than the goal-keeper in the penalty area
Ball Watching – Refers to players who only watch the ball and don’t know where opponents are. Often results in missed goal scoring opportunities & defensive mistakes.
Boil (n) – a condition of being effective. (”Gazza has gone off the boil.”)
“Boot It” – clearing the ball from danger by kicking it up field or or out of bounds. The kick usually has no intended receiver and is usually done to relieve pressure in the goal area. Usually yelled by parents (and, some coaches!) who believe that soccer is a game of boom ball and who get frantic during a game.
Build from the Back (to) - (1) to start an offensive play with the goalkeeper or defenders, who subsequently pass possession on to the midfielders, and finally to the forwards. (2) to select players (for a team or for a game) to ensure that the defense is exceedingly competent.
By-Line - the field boundary running across its width at each end; what Americans call the goal line. (An infrequent misuse, noted among television commentators, is to refer to the touch line (i.e., the sideline) as the by-line.)
Calcio - Italian word for soccer
Catenaccio - (Italian for “chain”) – A defensive playing style (formation, etc.) developed by the Italians, often using a sweeper, that gives up few goals while degrading the game to boredom.
Caught Flat-Footed (being) - a situation where a defender is standing still or is too slow to react to a play because he/she was not mobile when the play began
Caught Square (being) – a situation where two players (e.g., backs) are equidistant from the goal (i.e., parallel with the goal line) and between which a through ball is passed or dribbler proceeds
Cheeky - (British) risky and technically difficult (move or play)
Clean Sheet – a game that ends zero-zero (i.e., a shut-out) (British)
Come to - A signal to a teammate that you want him/her to run towards the ball in order to receive a pass.
Copa Libertadroes – a club competition that matches the winners of the 10 South America soccer associations; the tournament began in 1960 but has
undergone several format changes
Cracker - (British slang) – a hard shot
Cruyff (Turn) - a footwork move named after Dutch player Johann Cruyff who used it in the early 1970’s with great success
Cuauteminha (Cuauhteminha) – a ball trick introduced at World Cup France ‘98 by (and, named after) Cuauhtemoc Blanco (Mexico) in which the dribbler jumps over intended tacklers with the ball trapped between his/her own feet.
Down the Line - a throw-in tactic meaning to throw the ball close to the touch line toward the opponent’s goal rather than toward the center of the field
Engine Room – a nickname for a tough tackling, ball winning midfielder
European Champions League – a competition in addition to the UEFA Cup which matches clubs which won their national leagues in a head-to-head, home-and-away tournament; the 32 invited teams have won the season title in a top European league; the league is an elimination tournament and is played in addition to the regular league schedule.
European Cup - UEFA sanctioned competition which occurs every four years between World Cup finals; field includes national teams from throughout
Europe; first held in 1960
European Cup Winners Cup - a club competition pitting the winners of league cups the prior year in head-to-head competition; cup tournaments are opened to all divisions of a national league, meaning that quite a few surprise teams have gotten into this tournament; this tournament is an elimination, home-and-away tournament.
Fair Play - FIFA’s term for game play in which there are no violations of the laws of the game, there is no gamesmanship, and there are no professional fouls
First Time Ball – passing a ball without stopping or controlling it first
Fussbal - (German) soccer
Futbol – (Spanish) soccer
Futebol - (Portuguese) soccer
Futsal Only FIFA- approved version of indoor soccer. Played 5v5 on a hard surface with a low-bounce ball.
Give and Go – This is an effective tactic in which Player 1 passes the ball to nearby Player 2. Player 1 then makes a run into space, and Player 2 will pass the ball back to Player 1.
Goal Poacher – an attacker that usually roams around the penalty box and attempts to put away loose balls and sloppy passes and to use other non-traditional ways of scoring
Going in the Book-receiving a yellow or red card (“His/her name is going in the book.”)
Goooooooooaaaaaaaaallllllllll – drawn out verbalization of the word “goal” used when a goal is scored made famous by footbal announcer Andres Cantor
Hacking - kicking an opponent’s legs
Hand of God (Maradona’s) - a reference to Argentinian Maradona scoring a goal via handball in the 1986 World Cup quarterfinal game (played in Mexico) between Argentina and England; (b) Maradona’s own description of his action
Have it; Have one; Have a go with it – shoot the ball
Header on (v) – to flick the ball on in the same general direction that it was already traveling
I’m in – A signal to your teammate that you have entered the 18-yard box and are awaiting a cross.
In-Swinger – a ball that curves in toward the goal
Intercontinental Cup – a club competition consisting of a single match between the winner of the European Champions Cup and the Copa Libertadores
of South America; first held in mid-1960; splayed in Tokyo since the mid-1980s
Jockeying (a player) - shepherding or guiding a player into a less-dangerous location
Jules Rimet Trophy – the trophy given to the World Cup winner between 1930 and 1970, after which it was permanently retired; named after FIFA’s first president
“Keeper’s in Charge” - Phrase meaning that the goalkeeper has the responsibility and authority to communicate to all defenders on corner kicks and throw-ins deep in their own territory as to who is to mark which opponent
Laser - a very hard-hit shot
Lash – (n) a hard shot, as in “He gave it a lash.”
laying the ball off - A pass from a player into open space for another player to gain control of.
Leg – one of multiple match days of a round of play
Libero – (Italian for “free player”) sweeper or stopper who may go forward to support the attack
Lofted Pass - a pass used to kick the ball through the air over long distances
“Man On” – the call a player makes to a teammate who is closely marked by an opposing player but may not be aware of it
Mixer - (slang) the crowded area in front the goal.
Near Post – the goal post nearest to the ball
Nil-Nil - (British) neither team has a goal and the score is tied 0-0
Nutmeg (to) – to pass the ball through the legs of an opponent
On Goal - a shot that will enter the net unless stopped
Playing to Feet – passing the ball directly to the feet of a teammate who does not have to move to receive it
Robbed – loss of the ball to a defender
Roof (”Roof it.”) (v) - (a) to hit the inside top of the goal net; (b) (Alternative) see “Sky it”.
Samba Soccer - the Brazilian style of play; creative dribbling, passing, and movement akin to dancing
Sell a Dummy – to fake out
Send me – A signal to your teammates that you want one of them to kick the ball down the field. This is most commonly used down the sides of the fields, but can also be used in the middle to create a breakaway. It helps if your strikers are faster than the opponent’s defenders for this tactic to work.
Sky (It) - to send the ball considerably over the crossbar
Soft Goal – a goal given up by a goalkeeper on what should have been be an easy save
Sweeper – a defender that plays between the defenders and the goalkeeper, or in a triangle defense position, behind the stopper
Target man – A stationary player that stands near the top of the 18-yard box of the opponent’s half of the field. When the ball is passed to him, he lays it off to either side for another attacker to have a crack on net.
Through Ball – a ball delivered through the defensive line
Toe Poke – a pass or kick that is struck with the front (i.e., “toes”) of the cleat, usually on purpose, when there is no other option (i.e., no time or opportunity to do otherwise)
Tosser - (British slang) – a bad player
Trap - using a body part to control a moving ball
UEFA Cup – a competition among European club teams; a field of 64 teams is drawn from UEFA member leagues throughout Europe; invited teams include the top team in most leagues (although poor performing leagues are generally excluded from the competition), and in select leagues teams up to fifth place in the table are invited to compete; the tournament is run in addition to the regular season with mid-week matches generally the rule.
World Cup (WC) - an international soccer competition held by FIFA every 4 years between the top national teams in the world
12th Man – the fans, supporters, and crowd that helps the home team gain an advantage over the visiting team
2-3-5 – formation featuring 2 fullbacks, 3 halfbacks and 5 forwards, developed by the British in the 1890’s and used until the 1940s; also known as the Pyramid Formation
3-5-2 – a formation featuring a goalkeeper, a sweeper and two marking backs, five midfielders and two forwards
3-4-3 – a rarely played formation, most often employed when a team is behind in a game and needs a goal. It features a goalkeeper, 3 defenders, 4 midfielders and 3 forwards.
4-2-4 – a formation that consists of 4 defenders, 2 midfielders and 4 forwards. Made famous by the lighting-quick World Cup champion Brazilians in 1958. The two deep wing backs initiated attacks along the touchlines, transforming the team into 2-4-4.
4-3-3 - a formation that consists of 4 defenders, 3 midfielders and 3 forwards
4-4-2 – a formation that consists of 4 defenders, 4 midfielders and 2 forwards, one of the most popular formations currently used by teams
4-5-1 – a formation that consists of 4 defenders, 5 midfielders and 1 forward
6’s and 7’s (British) – a state of disarray and total confusion. Can be used with various prepositions (”at” is the most common, but “on” is also used) or without. (”The defense was at sixes and sevens.” Or, “The defense was sixes and sevens.”)